Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
340
IDENTIFYING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEEDS OF RELIGIOUS GUIDES AT THE GENERAL PRESIDENCY OF THE GRAND
MOSQUE AND PROPHET’S MOSQUE
Mahmoud Aljadani English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Turki Alsolami
English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia Faculty of applied Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT: This study aims at identifying English language needs for religious guides at The
General Presidency of The Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque. This study adopted a quantitative approach methodology using needs analysis questionnaire. The quantitative data collection instrument was a questionnaire with (51) participants. SPSS was used as the quantitative data analysis method. Findings showed that listening and speaking were the most important skills, and reading was moderately important, while writing is not important at all. Also, English is greatly rated as a tool to effectively perform their tasks in term of preaching and advising guests and pilgrims. Difficulties are embodied in lacking English language, accents, and proper religious expressions and vocabulary. This study highlights an urgent need for English for Religious Purposes. The study proposes a general guideline for a course design framework based on participants’ needs.
Keywords: English for religious purposes, ESP, needs analysis, religious guides, Saudi Arabia
INTROUDCTION
he Grand Mosque of Makkah receives millions of Muslims every year. Most of these
pilgrims are not Arabic speakers, and resides either to native language or English
coming from Asian countries, European countries, African countries, south and
North American countries. Since English language is a global language, the level of people
providing services to pilgrim should have a good command of English to communicate and
respond to pilgrims. Therefore, the role of English in a religious site visited by millions from all
over the world is important. Religious guides (RGs) at The Grand Mosque need to have a higher
level of English to convey clear messages and to understand interlocutors whenever English is
being used. They need not only a general course in English but also, they need also training on
religious English as most of the communication with pilgrims is based mostly on religious
matters. In return, this will improve the quality of services that are being provided to pilgrims
and visitors of The Grand Mosque. Therefore, to understand the English language needs for
RGs is essentially vital to plan a tailored program that can enhance the level of communication
between pilgrims and RGs.
T
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
341
Research Objectives
This study aims to identify the English language needs for RGs at The Grand Mosque of
Makkah. Additionally, it also aims to propose general guidelines for a proper English language
course that suits and fulfils their actual communicative needs with non-Arabic speaking guests
and visitors based on their reported English Language needs.
Research Questions
This overarching questions for this study are:
1- To what extent do RGs view the importance of English in their workplace? 2- What are the English communication skills required RGs in the holy mosque? And
what kind of linguistic activities are needed in their workplace? 3- What are the perceptions about religious English needs in the pilgrims’ services?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of Needs Analysis (NA)
NA is a core process to be conducted before designing any language courses of any kind.
Brown (2016) maintains that the relationship between NA and English for Specific Purposes
(ESP) is intertwined, and it would hard for ESP to exist without it (p. 5). NA has been defined
by many researchers in the field of ESP. One of the most widely used definitions is by Brown
(2009). Brown (2009) defines NA as “the systematic collection and analysis of all information
necessary for defining a defensible curriculum” (p. 269). From Brown’s perspective, is a process
of gathering data about learners’ needs which lead to a defendable curriculum. This is a common
understanding among many of the other definitions of NA available in the literature.
Approaches of NA
There are different approaches to formulate NA’s items of data collection tool based on
the assumptions of course stakeholders who intend to investigate and being investigated: 1)
Target Situation Analysis 2) Present Situation Analysis 3) Learning needs analysis 4) Register,
Discourse and Genre Analysis. This section elaborates them briefly.
Target Situation Analysis
Chambers (1980) coined the term Target Situation Analysis (TSA) inspired by Munby’s
(1981) Communication Needs Processor (CNP). Dudley-Evans, et al., (1998) define TSA as the
certain level of linguistic competence is essential for learners to function in target situation.
Munby (1981) developed CNP’s theoretical framework which is recognized as Needs Processor
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
342
(NP). NA contains categories and sub-categories which include skills and sub-skills that are
required to achieve fair-enough functioning in target situation.
Present Situation Analysis
Present Situation Analysis (PSA) was introduced by Richterich and Chancerel (1980).
According to Dudley-Evans, et al., (1998), PSA refers to decision made at the beginning of a
course about what learners are good at and what needs to improve for a successful starting.
Learning Needs Analysis
Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) or Pedagogic Needs Analysis (PNA) was first presented
by West (1994). LNA or PNA are broad concepts that includes: Deficiency Analysis, Strategy or
Learning Analysis, and Means Analysis. These will be explained in the coming sections.
Deficiency Analysis
Deficiency Analysis (DA) identifies learners’ PST and TSA “lacks, wants, and needs”
(Hutchinson & Waters, 1987; Jordan, 1997; West, 1994). Therefore, DA investigates and
analyses data about what learners’ lack, want, and need to start a language program and finish
successfully. DA is more comprehensive than PSA and TSA.
Strategy or Learning Analysis
Hutchinson and Walters (1987) and West (1998) indicate that Strategies or Learning
Analysis (SLA) refers to techniques that learners recruit to learn a new language. Learners only
can access this type of NA as it felt and subjective needs (Jordan, 1997). Learners should learn
activities, tasks, and skills that help them achieve TSA, and that can be supported by motivating
learners and help them to progress (Dudley-Evans, et al., 1998). SLA helps class to move toward
learner-centred-approach (Hutchinson & Walters, 1987). Therefore, it helps, supports and
motivates learners to learn satisfyingly and efficiently.
Means Analysis
Means Analysis (MA) scrutinizes external elements of learning process “classroom
ambience” which was ignored in Munby’s (1981) CNP framework, and it provides supportive
date about learning environment which assists to develop a more comprehensive syllable
(Dudley-Evans et al., 1998). MA provides information like common culture, facilities, teacher’s
profiles, etc could aid to design a course that suits certain ambience (Swales, 1990).
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
343
Register, Discourse, and Genre Analysis
Register Analysis
Register Analysis (RA) also called “lexicostatistics” (Dudley-Evans et al., 1998). Robinson
(1991, p 23) defines RA as “frequency analysis”. West (1998) reports that RA has more emphasis
on grammatical and lexical level. Thus, RA studies how certain grammatical structures and lexis
are frequent and do not go beyond sentence level. This supports ESP designers to focus on
these frequencies as they more probably occur in specific conversations of contexts (Dudley-
Evans et al., 1998). Hutchinson and Walter (1987) claim RA assists ESP course designers make
instructional contents more appropriate to learners’ needs.
Discourse Analysis
Due to the harsh critiques to RA, Discourse Analysis (DA), also called “rhetorical or textual
analysis, has emerged because RA does not go further than sentence level (West, 1994),
illustrative not expressive (Robinson, 1991), and lack authenticity (Dudley-Evans et al., 1998).
Hutchinson and Water (1987) DA studies the combination of sentences and how they are
connected, which focuses on the communicative principles rather than structural. DA assists
learners to connect utterances and sentences more appropriately which helps the rhythms and
flow of the target language.
Genre Analysis
Bhatia (2015) defines Genre Analysis (GA) as the study of how language is used within
particular contexts, settings and events; professional, academic, or social events. For example,
in sport match event where people watching and analysing that event their language structures
and lexis differ from their speech if they attend other social events like visiting a patient at
hospital. GA goes two levels deeper than RA and one level than DA which provides learners
with the broadest umbrella of linguistic variations: expressions, structures, and lexis.
NA of English for Religious Purposes:
English for religious purposes, particularly Islam, has been a new branch in ESP with a
growing number of studies is the Muslim world (Abudhahir, et.al, 2014). The term “English for
Religious Purposes”, has been recently used and other terms that were found in the literature
were Islamic English or English for Islamic studies. These studies investigated the needs of
English based on perceptions of English language, Skills needed and challenges that are faced
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
344
at various levels of education and occupations with a particularly emphasis on topics related to
Islam.
English, as a global Language, is a demand in many countries and hold a high value among
speakers around the world, including Muslims for various reasons such as studying, working
and travelling. Studies in the Muslim context indicate that many Muslims view English as an
important language and have high motivation to learn it. Muslims, like other people of nations
and faiths have hopes, aspiration, and love to explore the world, and mastering English
Language can create opportunities for them, particularly among Non-English-speaking
Muslims. The literature reveals that there have been a number of NA studies for ESP in Muslim
contexts for various needs including, tourism, police, Islamic studies students etc. (e.g. Abdellah
& Ibrahim, 2013; Abudhahir and Ali,2018; Aldohon, 2014; Al-Gorashi, 1988; Alhamami, 2020;
Alhuqbani, 2008; Juhary, 2013; Muhammad & Abdul Raof, 2020), including English for
religious purposes, which is the focus here.
As for the needs of English in Muslim countries, a few NA studies were conducted in
Muslim contexts for English for religious, or as some studies coined it Islamic purposes. In
Indonesia, Sahiba and Mirza (2019) investigated students’ beliefs about English language needs
at IAIN Palangka Raya using a survey, and 110 students completed the survey. Findings
indicated that the majority of students needs English as a tool to broadcasting and
communicating Islam to the world. In the same vein, Abudhahir and Ali (2018), surveyed 30
Malaysian students of Islamic studies on their view of English, most needed skills and materials
to be included in a proposed English for Islamic studies course. Findings indicate that majority
of students highly students the importance of English, and rated speaking as the most needed
skill as they want to become Islamic preachers. As for materials, participants indicate that
Islamic related materials with more focus on role-playing activities. Tarihoran and Rahimah
(2019) voice their concerns on the lack of materials for in The Muslim world and indicate that
the failure or success of teaching English in Islamic culture is largely dependent on the
availability of appropriate syllabus and materials design.
In Pakistan, Ahmad and Khushi (2014), conducted a semi-structured interview with 30
Muslim religious scholars to explore their needs of reading skills needs in religious texts.
Participants believe that religious texts are complex, and that the translated English vocabularies
are difficult to understand. Other reading skills difficulties were also reported, such as inferring
meaning from a text, skimming and scanning and comprehending complex sentence structure.
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
345
The study recommended that must exposed to various authentic religious genre texts such as
Quran verses translated in English, interpretations, commentaries, sayings of the prophet
Muhammed.
Saudi Arabia is considered the heart of all Muslim world for having the most two religious
sites, Makkah and Medina, and Muslims come in millions for Hajj and Umrah every year.
However, despite the importance of Hajj and Umrah services is growing, there is a very limited
studies conducted on the use of English for religious purposes in Hajj and Umrah. Samer (2014)
investigated spoken English needs of 11 Hajj volunteers from Riyadh Education. Results
indicate that there is a need for spoken English course to help them to communicate effectively
with pilgrims to ease the stressful communication between the volunteer and pilgrims due to
the lack of English. Abdellah and Ibrahim (2013) conducted a mixed method study to
investigate English language needs for 100 Hajj Guides at the Mosque of Prophet Muhammed
in Madinah city using a questionnaire, proficiency test and unstructured interviews. Findings
showed that participants need listening and speaking are the most important skills. It
recommended a course design guideline. A large number of the participants indicate that they
need English for occupational purposes such understanding and giving safety instructions,
describing the characteristics of a medical emergency and sending emergency messages. The
study concluded with a list of recommendation which include an urgent for developing an ESP
courses for Hajj guides that focus more on productive skills (listening and speaking). In
addition, materials for this course should focus on the vocational nature of Hajj guides in
Medina with emphasis on giving direction, making oneself understood, and attending Medina
visitors’ needs.
Despite the limited number of studies that studied the English needs at various Muslim
contexts, Makkah RGs, the most visited religious site by all Muslims around the world for Hajj
and Umrah, has not been investigated. There is an urgent and important need to investigate the
religious needs as part of developing the services offered to All Hajj and Umrah visitors. In
addition, this is a gap in the literature on English for religious purposes that this study intends
to fill.
METHDOLOGY
This section discusses methodology of this study: context, participants, research paradigms,
research designs, data collection methods, data analysis methods, and study evaluation. These
elements are elaborated and reflected empirically on the study.
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
346
Research Design
This study adopts a quantitative research design using a questionnaire to collect from a
large population information related to their level of English, perceptions, and challenges with
English language.
Context, Sampling and Participants
Participants of this study are working in the “Presidency of The Holy Grand Mosque
Affairs” in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred place for all Muslims around
the world. One of the services offered, is religious guidance where pilgrim have religious
questions or inquiry about right ritual practices and RGs respond them either by visiting their
office in The Grand Mosque or inside The Grand Mosque while they are doing their rituals.
For this study 51 RGs completed an online questionnaire. A convenient sampling strategy was
applied to recruit participants for this study from a large population of RGs.
Data Collection Instruments and procedures
Questionnaire
This study adopted and modified an existing questionnaire that was developed by a Saudi
Researcher (Alhuqbani, 2008). Alhuqbani (2008) designed semi-structured questionnaire to
identifying English language needs of some security sectors in Saudi Arabia. Alhaqbani’s
questionnaire contains questions related to general information, received training programs,
types of needed skills, activities and language, importance of English in workplace and personal
life, linguistic difficulties, and recommendations. Types and structures of questions were “yes”
and “no” questions, Likert scale, open-ended questions exploring IDs of security officers and
recommendations. Some of these items were modified, replaced, and deleted to properly
investigate English language of RGs. Additionally, an optional open-ended was devised to each
section of questionnaire to get deeper understanding. The original questionnaire was written in
English, therefore, this study questionnaire was translated into Arabic and sent to an Arabic
language editor specialist for face validity.
The questioner was sent to all RGs working in the Grand Mosque whom were about 140
RGs. Only 51 RGs filled out the online questionnaire.
Data Analysis Procedures
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
347
SPSS software was used to generate descriptive data that include means, and percentages.
In addition, a thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative part of the open-ended
questions part of the questionnaire.
FINDINGS DISCUSSION
Quantitative Findings
The quantitative data collection instrument was a questionnaire which contained 68 items
tackled many issues relevant to ESP for the employees of General Presidency of The Grand
Mosque affairs. Total participants are 51 out of 140 employees. These quantitative findings were
uploaded to elicit percentages “%” and frequencies “p” as presented in Table (1-11) followed
with explanations.
Need of English at Work
Table 1 Needs of English at work
NO.
Is there a need for English at Work?
Yes No
p % p %
1. 50 98% 1 2%
In Table 1, Participants were asked about the need of English at their work. This question
received “yes” from 50 participants and only one of the total population answered “no”, which
is 2%. This result indicates that there is a huge need for English language in their work.
In the open-ended question for participants to give reason for “Why English is needed in
their work”, participants revealed that English is important because it is being used by many
pilgrims, and it is also needed as the medium of communication with non-Arabic speaking and
for advising pilgrims. The following quotes were taken from some of the participants’ answers
to this question.
“English is an International language and becomes more and more common inside The Grand
Mosque”
“Many of non-Arabic Muslims can speak English well but not Arabic”
“Through my years of serving in The Grand Mosque , I need English because many non-
Arabic committing religious wrongdoings, so we need to advise them”
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
348
English Usage Frequency at Work:
Table 2. Frequency of English
Level of English usage frequency at Work
Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never
p % p % p % p % p %
8 15.7% 4 7.8% 34 66.7% 3 5.9% 2 3.9%
In Table 2, Participants were also asked in this section about the frequency of using English
at work. “Sometimes” received the highest responses by participants which indicate that English
Is not highly used in their work, followed by “always” and “usually”. These results combined
represent 46 participants, which can clearly indicate a considerate level of frequency needed to
use English.
Levels of English Language Proficiency
Table 3. Participants’ Levels of English Proficiency
N
O
Overall
Language,
Skills &
Subskills
Level of Proficiency
Excellent Very
good Good Acceptable Weak Very weak
P % P % P % P % p % p %
1. Overall 2 3.9
% 3
5.9
% 8
15.7
% 12 23.5% 7
13,7
% 19 37%
2. Listening 2 3.9
% 4
7.8
% 11
21.6
% 7 13.7% 7
13.7
% 20 39.2%
3. Speaking 2 3.9
% 1 2% 9
17.6
% 13 25.5% 4
7.8
% 22 43%
4. Reading 0 00.0 9 17.6
% 2 3.9% 14 27.5% 5
9.8
% 21 41.2%
5. Writing 1 2% 5 9.8
% 7
13.7
% 10 19.6% 3
5.9
% 25 49%
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
349
6. Grammar 0 00.0 3 5.9
% 8
15.7
% 14 27.5% 12
23.5
% 14 27.5%
7. Vocabulary 0 00.0 2 3.9
% 7
13.7
% 20 39.2% 8
15.7
% 14 27.5%
In Table 3, participants were asked about their level of English in all skills. The results show
that over 50% of the participants indicate that their “overall” English proficiency is either “weak”
or “very weak”. While the others about 50% was distributed between “acceptable”, “good”, “very
good”, and “excellent”. The majority of participants as shown in the table, the number of
participants who choose excellent and very good are very low.
In listening, 55% of participants agreed that their level is either “weak” or “very weak”.
However, the rest 45% showed “acceptable”, “good”, “very good”, and “excellent”. In speaking, 51%
of the population agreed that their speaking ability is either “weak” or “very weak”. While less
48% indicate “acceptable”, “good”, “very good”, and “excellent”.
In reading, over 51% of the participants indicate that their reading skill is either “weak” or
“very weak”. While the rest of participants are allocated on “acceptable”, “good”, “very good”, and
“excellent”. In writing, over 55% of community of the study reported that their writing skill is
either “weak” or “very weak”. Nevertheless, the remnant fractioned over “acceptable”, “good”, “very
good”, “excellent”.
In grammar, over 51% reported that “weak” or “very weak”, while less than 49% allocated
on “acceptable”, “good”, “very good”, and “excellent”. In vocabulary, around 41% reported their levels
are either “weak” or “very weak”. Furthermore, around 39% showed that their level of vocabulary
is “acceptable”. The other fraction is allotted on “good”, “very good”, and “excellent”.
The results show that despite the importance of English as mentioned previously, the
overall of their indicated levels on many of the skills is unsatisfactory for an industry that
requires a high command of English. It is clear from the table that most of the participants
indicate a weakness in language skills.
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
350
The Importance of English
Table 4. Importance of English
NO
English
Language
Skills
Level of Importance
Very important Important Neutral Less important Not important
p % p % p % p % p %
1. Listening 39 76.5% 11 21.6% - - - - 1 2%
2. Speaking 40 78.4% 9 17.6% - - 1 2% 1 2%
3. Reading 7 13.7% 26 51.1% - - 16 31.4% 2 3.9%
4. Writing 7 13.7 9 17.6 - - 12 23.5% 23 45.1%
5. Grammar 29 56.9% 8 15.7% - - 11 21.6% 3 5.9%
6. Vocabulary 35 68.6% 9 17.6 - - 6 11.8% 1 2%
As shown in Table 4, participants were asked to rate the importance of English in all skills.
The table illustrates that listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary rated as “very important”
skills with percentages 76.5%, 78.4%, 56.9%, and 68.6% respectively. Furthermore, reading was
not received as very important, however, it was indicated that it is an important skill by 51% of
the participants. Writing was reported as “less important” or “not important” skill at all. It can be
implied from these results that Participants are mostly focusing on communicative skills where
Listening and Speaking were of the highest percentage.
The Importance of English by Skill
In order to improve our understanding the specific needs of each skill, in the questionnaire
participants were asked about their needs for each skill separately. Participants were asked to
rate the importance of items of each skills, followed by an open-ended question where they can
write any other reasons for the importance of those skills in their work.
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
351
Table 5. Importance of Listening
NO Items
Importance of Listening
Very
important Important Neutral
Less
important
Not
important
p % p % p % p % p %
1.
To understand religious
utterances, words and terms
related to Hajj and Umra.
45 88.2% 5 9.8% - - - - 1 2%
2. To understand words and
texts of general English. 41 80.2% 8 15.7% - - 1 2% 1 2%
3.
To understand visitors and
guests of The Grand Mosque
who are non-Arabic speakers
44 86.3% 6 11.8 - - - - 1 2%
4.
To understand religious
lectures and workshops
related to Hajj and Umra
19 37,3% 17 33.3% - - 12 23.5% 3 5.9%
5.
To understand general
questions and inquiries raised
by guests and visitors of The
Grand Mosque
44 86.3% 6 11.8% - - 1 2% 1 2%
As shown in Table 5, participants were asked to rate the importance of the Listening skill
in five statements. As shown in table (7), the highest reason for the importance of listening skill
which received 88.2% was “to understand religious texts, words and terms related to Hajj and Omra”,
followed by two reasons which scored the same percentage 86.3% “to understand general questions
and inquiries raised by guests and visitors of The Grand Mosque” and “to understand visitors and guests of
The Grand who are non-Arabic speakers”. Another reason which scored by 80.2% was “to understand
words and texts of general English”. The least reason which significantly received low rates 37.3%
was “to understand religious lectures and workshops related to Hajj and Umra”. These percentages
indicate that, participants view Listening skill as highly important for religious and work-related
communication.
In the optional open-ended questions section, a very limited number of participants shared their
reasons for the importance of listening skill which was mostly related to understanding pilgrims
English, as one of the participants mentioned “To understand questions raised by English speakers”.
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
352
Table 6. Importance of Speaking
NO Items
Importance of Speaking
Very
important Important Neutral
Less
important
Not
important
P % p % p % p % p %
1.
To use words and terms
related to Hajj and
Umra in conversations.
43 84.3% 6 11.8% - - 1 2% 1 2%
2.
To use words and texts
of general English in
conversations.
38 74.5% 8 15.7% - - 4 7.6% 1 2%
3.
To give clear
information and
instructions to non-
Arabic speakers of
guests and visitors of
The Grand Mosque.
42 82.4% 7 13.7% - - 1 2% 1 2%
4.
To talk about religious
topics and concepts
related to Hajj and
Umra
42 82.4% 8 15.7% - - - - 1 2%
In Table 6 as shown, participants were asked to rate the importance of Listening skill in
four statements. As shown in table (8), the highest reason for the importance of speaking skill
which received 84.3% was “To use words and terms related to Hajj and Umra in conversations”, followed
by two reasons which scored the same percentage 82.4%; they are: “To give clear information and
instructions to non-Arabic speakers of guests and visitors of The Grand Mosque.” and “To talk about religious
topics and concepts related to Hajj and Umra. The least reason which received lower rates yet not very
significantly different from other reasons was “To use words and texts of general English in
conversations” where 74.5% of the participants view it as very important.
In the optional open-ended questions section, a number of RGs shared their reasons for
the importance of speaking skill which was mostly related to understanding advising and
preaching pilgrims about religious matters, as indicated in the following two quotes:
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
353
“To advise wrongdoers using English”
“To preach to the righteous way of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions”
Table 7. Importance of Reading
NO Items
Importance of Reading
Very
important Important Neutral
Less
important
Not
important
p % p % p % p % p %
1.
To read and understand religious
words and terms related to Hajj
and Umra.
32 62.7% 12 23.5% - - 5 9.8% 2 3.9%
2. To read and understand words
and texts of general English. 30 58.8% 14 27.5% - - 3 5.9 2 3.9%
3.
To read understand religious
topics and texts related to Hajj
and Umra
32 62.7% 14 27.5% - - 3 5.9% 2 3.9%
In Table 7, participants were asked to rate the importance of Reading skill in three
statements. As shown in table (9), the highest two reasons which scored the same percentage
62.7 % were “To read understand religious topics and texts related to Hajj and Umra” and “To read and
understand religious words and terms related to Hajj and Umra”. However, the first statement was also
reported by 27.5% of the participants which makes it higher when we combine “very important”
and “important” together.
The least reason which received lower rates yet not very significantly different from other
reasons was “To read and understand words and texts of general English” where 58.8% of the
participants view it as very important.
In the optional open-ended questions section, a number of participants shared their reasons
for the importance of reading skill which was mostly related to reading pilgrims’ IDs and
understanding religious pamphlets, as reported in the following quotes
“To assist lost people through reading their addresses in their IDS”
“To read religious books which are written in English and make sure that they are aligned
with the right Islam”.
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
354
Table 8. Importance of Writing
No Items
Importance of Writing
Very
important Important Neutral Less important
Not
important
p % p % p % p % p %
1.
To write religious
words and terms
related to Hajj and
Umra.
13 25.5% 9 17.9% - - 3 5.9% 26 51%
2. To write incident
reports. 10 19.6% 8 15.9% - - 14 27.5% 19 37.3%
3. To write sentences
and short articles. 12 23.5% 6 11.8% - - 7 13.7% 26 51%
Participants were asked to rate the importance of Writing skill in three statements as shown
in Table 8. The two reasons which scored the same percentage 51 % were “To write religious words
and terms related to Hajj and Umra.” and “To write sentences and short articles.”, and they were
considered by the participants as “Not important”. The results indicate a low number of
participants who view writing skill as either “very important or “important”. As shown in table (10),
writing skill, in contrast to other previous skills, was not of importance to the participants. As
for the statement “To write incident reports”, which received 37.3%, if we combine the score
of “important 27.5%, it becomes the highest rated statement of a total of 64.8%, followed by a
combined statement of “To write sentences and short articles” 64.7% are closely related.
Difficulties Faced by RGs in English:
Table 9. Difficulties of English
NO Difficulties
Level of Agreement
Strongly
agree Agree Neutral Disagree
Strongly
disagree
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
355
p % p % p % p % p %
1.
Difficulty in following
English conversations of
natural
speed
32 62.7% 11 21.6% 5 9.8% 2 3.9% 1 2%
2. Difficulty in understanding
different accents 33 64.7% 6 11.8% 8 15.7% 3 5.9% 1 2%
3. Difficulty in understanding
all that is said in English 31 60.8% 11 21.6% 8 15.7% 1 2% 2 3.9%
4. Difficulty in responding to
all that is said in English 33 64.7% 6 11.8% 9 17.6% 2 3.9% 1 2%
5.
Difficulties in using
English due to different
cultures
36 70.6% 5 9.8% 7 13.7% 2 3.9% 1 2%
As shown in Table 9, participants were asked to rate their level of agreement or
disagreement with a number of difficulties that are faced in their workplace related to English.
As shown in table (11), there was a number of difficulties that scored high percentage by the
participants. The highest reported statement was “Difficulties in using English due to different cultures”,
which scored 70.6%. The second two difficulties that were equally reported with a percentage
of 64.7% were “Difficulty in understanding different accents” and “Difficulty in responding to all that is said
in English”.
In this optional open-ended questionnaire, a number of GRs shared similar difficulties
mentioned in the questionnaire, as shown in the following quotes:
“As an English speaker who speaks English perfectly, I always face problems in understanding
articulations of English of Indians, Pakistanis, Indonesians and other Asians”
“I face problems in giving directions and describing object and do my best using my body
language”
Level of Importance of English at Work & Personal Life:
Table 10. Importance of English at Work and Personal life
NO Items
Level of Importance at Work & Personal Life
Very
important Important Neutral
Less
important Not important
p % p % p % p % p %
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
356
1. Performing my Job
effectively 40 78.4% 10 19.6% - - - - 1 2%
2. Passing training courses 22 43.1% 14 27.5% - - 5 9.8% 10 19.6%
3. Passing professional
exams and evaluations 17 33.3% 18 35.3% - - 6 11.8% 10 19.6%
4.
Increasing knowledge in
my
Field of specialization and
work
25 49% 20 39.2% - - 5 9.8% 1 2%
5. Promoting to a higher
position 18 35% 17 33.3% - - 5 9.8% 11 21.6%
6. Increasing stipends 31 60% 14 27.5% - - 2 3.9% 4 7.8%
7.
Rewarding a scholarship
in an English-speaking
country
31 60% 14 27.5% - - 2 3.9% 4 7.8%
8.
To speak with non-Arabic
Speakers in various topics
of life
36 70.6% 7 13.7% - - 4 7.8% 4 7.8%
9.
Using the internet to
search the
English websites
34 66.7% 9 17.6% - - 3 5.9 5 9.8%
In assessing RGs, the importance of English to their personal lives, they were asked to
indicate the level of importance of English in nine statements. As shown in Table 10, the highest
rate statement by participants was “Performing my Job effectively” which scored 78.4%, and
we combine the results of expression “agree” 19.6%, the results increased to 98%. When
applying the same to other results the second highest statement is “Increasing knowledge in my
field of specialization and work”, with its combined result 88%. Other results which scored
equally in combination of “very important” and “important” were the statements: “Increasing
stipends” and “Rewarding a scholarship in an English-speaking country” which were 87.5. In
addition, the statements “To speak with non-Arabic Speakers in various topics of life” and
“Using the internet to search the English websites” scored 84.3%. All these results indicate that
participants highly value the importance of English for the various reasons as reported in the
questionnaire.
Activities needed in English
Table 11. Activities Needed in English
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
357
No Activities needed in English
Level of Agreement
Strongly
agree Agree Neutral Disagree
Strongly
disagree
p % p % p % p 5 P %
1. Eliciting information of identities
of non-Arabic speakers 38 74.5% 10 19.6% - - 2 3.9% 1 2%
2. Discussing religious issues related
to performing rituals 45 88.2% 4 7.8% 1 2% - - 1 2%
3. Giving clear directions of inquired
locations 44 86.3% 8 11.8% - - - - 1 2%
4. Investigating incidents 16 31.4% 12 23.5% 16 31.4% 6 11.8% 1 2%
5. Providing helps and assistances 47 92.2% 3 5.9% - - - - 1 2%
6.
Inquiring about descriptions of
missing objects, values, and
missing circumstances
44 86.3% 4 7.8% 2 3.9% - - 1 2%
7. Inquiring about descriptions
missing people 44 86.3% 4 7.8% 2 3.9% - - 1 2%
8.
Collaborating and communicating
with non-Arabic speaking
embassies and consulates'
representatives
43 84.3% 6 11.8% 1 2% - - 1 2%
Participants, were asked to report their level of agreement or disagreement on the needed
activities of English. As shown in Table 11 the highest reported activity was “Providing helps and
assistances” which scored 92.2%. The second reported activity was “Discussing religious issues related
to performing rituals”, which scored 88.2%. The third highly reported activities were “Inquiring
about descriptions of missing objects, values, and missing circumstances” and “Inquiring about descriptions
missing people”. Another high reported activity which scored 84.3% was “Collaborating and
communicating with non-Arabic speaking embassies and consulates' representatives”. The activity
“Investigating incidents” was significantly reported by the participants which scored 31.4%.
Open-ended questions from the questionnaire
In the last section of the questionnaire, an open-ended question was given to RGs to
provide any suggestion to improve the situation of English language education in their sector.
A number of RGs shared their views which indicate the need of English to perform their
religious obligations better as shown in the following quotes:
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
358
“There is an extreme and urgent need to learn English and improve our communication
abilities”
“To help pilgrims clarifying the right way of Islam and Prophet Mohammed peace be upon
him, and we should not remain silent because of not knowing English”
“Communicating in English abilities are prime important to start
Dialogue to correct some misunderstood concepts”
The main aim of this study was to identify English language needs of the staff of the
Presidency of The Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. The study adopted a quantitative
method research design. A questionnaire was filled out by 51 participated in the questionnaire.
Regarding the importance of English to be used in RGs at The Grand Mosque and the
reasons for its importance, it is clear that participants reached almost a consensus with 98%
confirming English is needed in their workplace “Holy Mosque”, and it is very frequent. This
percentage indicates that English is extremely important for RGs, and this is in line with
previous studies which indicated the importance of English in professional life (Abdellah &
Ibrahim, 2013; Alhamami, 2020;). Participants seem to highly regarded English as important to
their work for various reasons such as a medium of communication to help pilgrims who do
not speak Arabic in advising them about places, rituals, and directions around The Grand
Mosque. In addition, English is highly regarded because it is also used to preach Non- Arabic
Muslim speakers. This highlights the importance of English to deliver the words of Allah to a
wider audience and preach non-Arabic speakers of worshipers in the holy cities (Abdellah &
Ibrahim, 2013).
The significant result on the importance of English is aligned with ESP framework that
employees, who work in service industries which The Grand Mosque is a part of Hajj and Umra
industry of those industries. They need English language to provide services to guests who
cannot speak Arabic language (Abdellah & Ibrahim, 2013; Samer, 2014). Abdellah and Ibrahim
(2013), point that it is crucial for Hajj guides to speak English .The Prophet’ Mosque visitors
are mostly has the same characteristic of visitors of The Grand Mosque because those visitors
come to The Grand Mosque for Hajj or Umra, and when they finish, they go to the Prophet
Mosque for visitation.
Findings of the questionnaire reveals that the most highly needed English language skills
in RGs’ jobs are listening and speaking. This is in line with ESP theory that English for
Occupational Purposes (EOP) emphasizes more on “listening” and “speaking” as they
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
359
represent the spontaneous communicative skills which enable interlocutors of different native
languages negotiate information at workplace successfully. These findings are similar to other
studies which were conducted on other Muslim contexts (Abdellah & Ibrahim, 2013; Sahiba &
Mirza, 2019; Samer, 2014).
Reading skill was also highlighted as an important skill for RGs which was shown in the
questionnaire. Participants need reading skills to read and understand the publications written
in English which are brought with pilgrims and visitors because most of the time these
publications violate religious rules. This is in a line with a previous study (Ahmad & Khushi,
2014), where reading was found to be an important skills for an Islamic preacher. Their study
suggested that reading materials should include authentic Islamic texts to enable the preachers
to understand the English translated vocabularies related to religious matters.
One of the research questions of this study was to tackle the issues of difficulties faced by
RGs. Findings indicate that one of the major issues for RGs is poor English level. This result
was evident in the questionnaire when they were asked to indicate their levels in English. This
can be linked to lack of English training courses in their sector which was mentioned by a
number of participants. Similar findings were also reported by (Samer, 2014) where due to the
low level of the Hajj volunteers, it created a stressful communication between them and the
pilgrims.
One of the issues that was reported by a number of participants, particularly with higher
level of English, was Pilgrims English accent. They indicate that the accent hinders them from
understanding pilgrims’ English inquires. Similar finding was found in a previous study (e.g.,
Samer, 2014). Abdellah and Ibrahim (2013) recommend that accents and pronunciations should
be considered in designing a course for Hajj guides in Madinah city.
The importance of English for professional purposes was one of the themes identified in
this study. In the questionnaire, the findings indicate that the highest two reasons for the need
of English in RGs jobs was to perform their jobs effectively and to increase their knowledge
when to deal with non-Arabic speakers. This is can be linked to a religious duty to serve the
visitors of The Grand Mosque. Similar findings were voiced other studies in Muslim contexts
where they wanted to broadcast and communication English to the world (Abudhahir & Ali,
2018; Sahiba & Mirza , 2019; Samer, 2014). It can be argued that some of the tasks particularly
asking and responding to inquiries are shared with RGs working at The Grand Mosque,
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
360
however, the nature and types of questions are more complex, religiously focused, and require
sometimes a high command of English.
The nature and types of English language activities and tasks for RGs were also explored
in this study. The questionnaire results show that English is extremely needed by RGs in
preaching and advising, answering inquiries, and giving directions which were the most
frequently mentioned situations. In The context of The Grand Mosque , the main tasks of RGs
are all about preaching and advising those visitors who are in need. e.g., how to perform certain
rituals or advising wrongdoers, giving directions and replying on visitors’ inquiries are the key
tasks for RGs’ jobs. If their English level is not as high as it is expected to be, this as a result
will affect their performance. As some previous studies indicated, the nature of activities and
materials for Islamic guidance or advising should focus on authentic materials taken from Quran
or Prophet Sayings or other religious publication such as commentaries, and the nature of
activities should be more communicative e.g., role-playing (Abudhahir & Ali, 2018; Ahmad &
Khushi, 2014).
CONCLUSION
This study is of an importance to a sector in Saudi Arabia that serves the pilgrims, and the
government has been doing its utmost to provide the best services for the welfare of pilgrims.
Participants in this study acknowledge the importance of English language in performing their
jobs more effectively. English is not widely spoken among RGs at a level that allow to complex
communication situation with English-speaking pilgrims, and it’s due to lack of language
training in general and a more focused language training on English for religious purposes.
Their language needs tend to be more on the use of the language for communication where it
is highly needed on speaking and listening skills, which are more related to the nature of jobs
when dealing with English-speaking pilgrims. The use of English more needed for guiding,
advising and answering pilgrims in various religious matters, which require a tailored English
language program that target and reflect the language and situations they are likely to encounter
which may including qur’anic verses, hadith, rituals. Therefore, this study offer a broad guideline
for an English course for religious purposes that serve the needs for RGs in Makkah and
Madinah.
Volume 6, Number 02, December 2020
361
REFERENCES
Abdellah, A., & Ibrahim, M. (2013). Towards developing a language course for Hajj guides in
al-madinah al-munawwarah, a needs assessment. International Education
Studies, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v6n3p192
Abudhahir, R. A., Mahdun, M., & Nor, R. M. (2015). Need Analysis and Material
Development in English for Specific Purposes in Relation to English for Islamic
Studies. Journal of Management & Muamalah, 5(2).
Ahmad, N., & Khushi, Q. (2014). An Analysis of Religious Scholars’ Needs for Reading
Religious Texts Written in English. Pakistan Journal of Islamic Research, 14(14), 113-121.
Aldohon, H. I. (2014). English for specific purposes (ESP) for Jordanian tourist police in their
workplace: Needs and problems. International Education
Studies, 7(11). https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v7n11p56
Al-Gorashi, A. K. (1988). The English communication needs of military cadets in Saudi Arabia as
perceived by junior officers in the Saudi Army and air defense [Unpublished doctoral
dissertation]. Indiana University.
Alhamami, M. (2020). Language barriers in multilingual Saudi hospitals: Causes, consequences,
and solutions. International Journal of Multilingualism, 17(2), 1-
13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1777134
Alhuqbani, M. B. (2008). Identifying the English Language Needs of Saudi Police
Officers. Journal of the Saudi Association of Languages and Translation, 1(2), 55-97.
Bhatia, V. K. (2015). Critical genre analysis. Hermes - Journal of Language and Communication in
Business, 54, 9-20. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315690315
Brown, J. D. (2009). Foreign and second language needs analysis. In M. H. Long, & C, Doughty
(Eds.), The handbook of language teaching (pp. 269-293). Wiley-Blackwell.
Brown, J. D. (2016). Introducing needs analysis and English for specific purposes. Routledge.
Chambers, F. (1980). A re-evaluation of needs analysis in ESP. The ESP Journal, 1(1), 25-
33. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-2380(80)90007-4
Dudley-Evans, T., John, M. J., & John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes: A
multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press.
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes. Cambridge University Press.
Jordan, R. R. (1997). English for academic purposes: A guide and resource book for teachers. Cambridge
University Press.
Aljadani and Alsolami, Indentifying English Language Needs…
362
Juhary, J. B. (2013). Using Military Vocabulary and Concepts for Successful Language Learning
at the Defence University. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal, 4(3).
Muhammad, I., & Halim Abdul Raof, A. (2019). Assessing the ESP needs of Saudi engineering
undergraduates: A diagnostic view. Arab World English Journal, 10(4), 204-
222. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no4.16
Munby, J. (1981). Communicative syllabus design: A sociolinguistic model for designing the content of purpose-
specific language programmes. Cambridge University Press.
Richterich, R., & Chancerel, J. (1980). Identifying the needs of adults learning a foreign language.
Pergamon Press.
Robinson, R. (1991). ESP Today: A Practitioner’s Guide. Hemel Hempstead. Prentice Hall.
Sahiba, A., & Mirza, A. A. (2019). Investigating students’ belief toward the importance of English learning
for dakwah activity at IAIN Palangka Raya. In The 3rd INACELT (International Conference
on English Language Teaching). Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Palangka Raya
Indonesia.
Samer, A. K. (2014). Spoken English for Saudi Hajj volunteers: A need assessment [Unpublished
master's thesis]. Spoken English for Saudi Hajj volunteers: A need assessment.
Sayed Abudhahir, R. A., & Mohamad Ali, A. (2018). English for Islamic studies: Should I learn
English? – From the eyes of Islamic studies students. LSP International
Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v5n1.65
Swales, J. M. (1990). Discourse analysis in professional contexts. Annual Review of Applied
Linguistics, 11, 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190500001987
Tarihoran, N., & R. (2019). Exploring the Islamic culture in English for Islamic studies (EIS)
classroom. Proceedings of the 4th ASEAN Conference on Psychology, Counselling, and
Humanities (ACPCH 2018). https://doi.org/10.2991/acpch-18.2019.3
West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. Language Teaching, 27(1), 1-
19. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444800007527